


The View from the Ground (Teen)

by CorsairOriginal



Series: Days of Advent [3]
Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Illustrations, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26209735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorsairOriginal/pseuds/CorsairOriginal
Summary: Meteor is approaching Gaia, and the group of planet protectors face the greatest threat they've ever known. However, there is time enough for each of them to go and remind themselves of what they're fighting for. Cid Highwind has several days, and only one person he can imagine returning to. The only question is if Cid will still be welcome in her life.Days of Advent AU (Still Fits into Continuity)
Relationships: Cid Highwind & Shera
Series: Days of Advent [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903474
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	The View from the Ground (Teen)

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during Chapt 11 of "Through Another's Eyes," and makes brief reference to Cid and Shera's arc in Before Crisis.
> 
> Anyone who doesn't want to imagine Cid and Shera have probably not even clicked on this, and I'm well aware I shouldn't have to do Square's job of making the canon couple make sense, but here we are. I have imagined Cid and Shera together since 1997, they just always made sense to me, but I can easily see where Square *repeatedly* dropped the ball if they were meant to be together. As I write the Days of Advent AU, there's a lot of canon I plan to keep, and this couple is one of them, and so I felt it was necessary to show that they do work. It's certainly not perfect, but real people aren't perfect either.
> 
> Not reaching your dreams causes real trauma, and living with a sense of loss of purpose is being the walking dead--existing, but not living. "Lack of purpose" is one of the leading causes of depression. This is real to me on a personal level, and I'll be the first to admit I'm not proud of the things I did or said when living was just going through the motions. I am grateful every single day that my spouse and I survived our lowest points, and I know that if anyone had ever seen us at our worst it would've looked like the most toxic of relationships. We made it, and even though things aren't exactly where we want, they're not soul-crushing.
> 
> I had to ask what motivates these two, and especially the bare-bones glimpses of Shera we get. What makes someone so unconcerned with their own safety? There's only one thing *I* know of, and it makes Shera as a character make so much more sense.
> 
> Please enjoy. There's two versions of this story, to give those who don't read explicit content the chance to still get the story. I will say that as far as a more "canon" version, if I write an explicit scene it's safe to assume that's the one I consider the most accurate to my AU.

Ferrying all of Cloud’s comrades and the crew of the _Highwind_ most of the way to their respective homes had taken up more time than Cid had wanted. Who knew how all of them were going to meet back up at the _Highwind_ , or how many of them were even going to? Come that fourth day, maybe it’d only be Cloud, Tifa, and himself. Nah, Vincent would show, Cid was sure of that. Vincent had acted extremely wishy-washy about where he would go, but had turned down an invite to Rocket Town with Cid. (Maybe Cid was keeping his hopes up as far as Vincent’s devotion to the cause. Who could actually read that man? Cid tried, but Vincent’s walls were just too thick.) Nanaki would likely come back too. No matter how much Cosmo Canyon begged, the poor kid didn’t exactly have family to go back to. Would Wutai have been too far to visit and come back from? It was a hell of a trek for a sixteen-year old—then again, Yuffie was anything other than an ordinary teenager.

On the other hand, Cid honestly had trouble imagining that Barret would ever step away from his kid once he saw her, or that the newly-coronated Senior Director Tuesti would deign to mentally leave Midgar long enough to save the world instead of leaving it to someone else. Though, that wasn’t fair of Cid. With how much Reeve accomplished when he wasn’t fighting remotely with Cid and the others, maybe it wasn’t so selfish a thing to do—to let someone else handle Sephiroth while Reeve took care of people. The guy had a lot on his plate judging from the broadcasts coming out of Midgar. Yeah, Cid had to concede, none of it was selfish in the least.

Catching a ride in a truck the last leg of the way, Cid anxiously tapped his heel as they passed a familiar mile marker. Funny, Cid should have seen No. 26 by now—Oh. Right. Cid chuckled to himself and rubbed his face. The horizon was never going to look the same in Rocket Town again. Hell, could they really call the place Rocket Town now?

“Everyone’s gonna be excited to see you,” the driver, a former Shinra mechanic by the name of David Santiago, said.

Grinning, Cid nodded. “Things been boring without me?”

Santiago laughed loudly. “As if! Things have been crazy the last few weeks—ever since Meteor showed up.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise and Cid let out a short “hmph.” “Well, how ‘bout that. What have you assholes been up to?”

“Shinra Jr. had the department working on keeping communications going. Your TV and phone still workin’? You’re welcome.”

Cid chuckled. “Okay, yeah.”

“Then there was all the prep for launching No. 26—which you stole.”

“While I stole.”

“Couldn’t let the chance go?”

With a grin, Cid leaned his jaw on his hand. “Won’t pretend that had nuthin’ to do with it, but there was a lot else goin’ on.”

“Uh, huh, sure.”

“I’m serious,” Cid assured him. 

“Anyway, since then it’s been back to communications. They’ve been needin’ so much help I came out of retirement.”

“Well, lookit you.”

“Since the, uh—” Santiago ran his tongue along his gum line and smirked. “—Since the reorganization, Midgar’s been pulling away engineers and mechanics left and right to get people out of that death trap.”

“Ha, ‘reorganization.’”

“Is it true?” Santiago asked in a low voice, like some unknown eyes were watching. “Is Rufus Shinra dead?”

Cid clicked his tongue with a scoff and rolled his eyes. “I was there when Diamond Weapon shot up Midgar. Sure, there’s no body, but there won’t be. The Shinra tower was hit dead-on and the top floors went up like a grill with too much fluid.”

Santiago let out a long whistle.

“Plus,” Cid pressed. “Tuesti just rolls up to call the shots and Junior ain’t got nuthin’ to say about it? Just gonna let that slide? You’ve never met that little shit. Not happening.”

“Guess not…” Santiago mused. “You met the Senior Director yet?”

Snickering, Cid nodded. Not the way that anyone guessed, but often.

“He’s an engineer, right? What’s he like?”

Grinning, Cid visibility mulled over the question. “Picture a thick Highland accent.”

“O…kay…”

“Dad jokes and inappropriately-timed goofiness—”

“Uh…huh.”

“—And now picture it comin’ out a three-foot tall cat.”

His eyes thin, Santiago stared at Cid mirthlessly. “If you’re gonna screw with me, you can just say y’ain’t seen ‘im.”

“Fine, _don’t_ believe me.”

“We’re just about there.”

“Yeah,” Cid said as they pulled into a lot. Portable buildings filled nearly every available space between the rows of houses and businesses, and denizens darted between them—busying themselves with any number of tasks. “…Damn, would ya _look_ at all this…”

“Oh, almost forgot to mention,” Santiago said as he slid out of the driver seat. “Director Palmer’s in town.”

“What?” Cid laughed. “The hell is Fat Man doing here?”

“Getting away from Midgar like a sane person,” Santiago said as he strolled to the bed of the truck to unload boxes. “That, and all this? I guess with nobody to stop him, he just fills any request our people have got. _Never_ seen him sign so many checks.”

Grinning ear to ear, taking in the sight of the bustling activity, Cid climbed out of the truck and slung his pack over his shoulder. “Well, can’t deny what I’m lookin’ at. I’ll be damned.” He jogged beside Santiago and pulled his spear out of the back of the truck, sliding it out from between the boxes. “Thanks again for the ride, Dave.”

“See you ‘round, Captain!” Santiago called back with a wave.

Cid stepped into the street, and was immediately besieged by his neighbors and friends from the Space and Aeronautics Department. He had guessed he wouldn’t get far without being spotted, but for the first time he couldn’t say he was eager to face their enthusiasm. For a while he juggled his attentions between the various engineers, scientists, and mechanics—answering questions about his ascent and return from space, the status of Midgar, Shinra headquarters, and what options remained for stopping Meteor. Cid answered honestly, not sugar-coating any of the more distressing realities. However, his mind frequently drifted from the matters at hand. His blue eyes swept over the familiar faces, looking for a set of hazel ones behind round glasses, and rusty-brown hair. 

At last he was able to get time to himself, and Cid took aside an engineer. “Hey, Harris, where’s Shera? Woulda thought she’d be in the middle of all this…”

He grinned at Cid knowingly. “She’s been burning the candle at both ends for weeks now. We made her take a day off.” Harris nudged him and pointed down the road toward Shera’s home. “Go on. I’ll make sure nobody comes lookin’ for you.”

Shoving Harris’s shoulder playfully, Cid scoffed. “Ya think you got everything figured out?”

“You’re welcome,” he insisted as Cid jogged down the road.

Cid waved him off. “Yeah, yeah.”

When Cid arrived at the cramped condo Shera called home, Cid took in a deep breath and steadied himself. He was a bundle of nerves, the hell was his problem? He knocked and waited. As moments passed he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then knocked louder. Again, no answer. A smile crossed his face and he shook his head.

He should have guessed.

Cid turned and went to the last house at the edge of town, a stone’s throw from what had once been the resting place of Shinra No. 26. The launchpad sat empty, a husk of metal plates and trenches in the dirt that marked where tangles of fuel cabling once languished for years. Cid tested his front door and found it unlocked. As he opened the door, the aura of cigarettes layered into the furniture was offset by the scent of a fresh pot of tea. The woman standing at the oven jerked her head toward the door, her large eyes wide behind her round glasses.

“C-Cid…?” Shera whispered in surprise. Her eyes spun to the window over the sink, and when she visually confirmed Meteor’s uninterrupted path she looked back to him. “What…What are you doing here?”

“S’my house,” he quipped with a half-smile, leaning his spear next to the door. 

“But…”

“Ennh, we…we talked about it, and we need a break as much as any other human being. Before he died, Bugenhagen said we got a week,” Cid continued, pulling off his boots, scarf, and gloves and tossing them aside. “Three days won’t make or break us.”

“Oh, no, Bugenhagen passed away?” 

Sheepishly, Cid rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, right. I haven’t been good at keepin’ ya in the loop, have I?”

Shera shrugged awkwardly, bringing the teapot to the kitchen table. “He was…He was really getting up there, wasn’t he?”

“Almost one hundred and thirty.”

Her eyebrows rising once, Shera shook her head. “Good heavens. I almost wish I could have met him, but…I think he earned the rest on his own terms.”

“He did,” Cid agreed. “So, you just…hang out in my house when I’m out?”

Blushing, Shera straightened her glasses as she pulled out two mugs. “All the stuff to make tea is here, not at my place.”

“I guess.”

“That and…after how long we’ve worked together,” she said in a soft voice, “sometimes it’s hard for me to think if I can’t smell smoke.”

Letting out a self-conscious snicker, Cid shook his head. “Glad to know I’m missed.”

Sitting, Shera poured herself tea. “Of course you are…”

Taking a seat, Cid watched her prep her cup, then sat straighter as she slid it in front of him by rote. He lowered his eyebrows, then pushed it back to her. She paused, glancing at the cup, and then back up to him. “…Don’t want tea?”

“Don’t want you to feel like you have to serve me the second I blunder in,” Cid mumbled. “I ain’t earned anythin,’ I’ve barely spent a full day in town for the last few months…Anyway, I’ve been…I’ve been thinkin’ for the last couple weeks—you know, since we got back to the ground from No. 26. And I don’t…”

Anxiously, Shera quickly picked up the cup and began drinking. “It’s fine,” she said sharply. “It’s…It’s fine.”

Cid scooched the empty cup to himself and filled it, avoiding her eyes. He prayed he didn’t screw this up. “…I don’t think it is.”

Shera’s grip on her cup grew slightly tighter, and she visibly swallowed. “I thought you would have been…happy.”

A gentle smile came to him as he sprinkled sugar in his cup and stirred. “Don’t get me wrong, Sher, I am happier than I have been in a hell of a long time. _Hell_ of a long time,” he repeated bitterly, his face growing hard and his eyes distant. “There’s just some other things that ain’t sittin’ well.”

“…Are you—Are you in town to sort them out?” she ventured in a low voice.

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. 

Setting down her suddenly empty tea cup, Shera stood stiffly. “I better leave you to it, then. Sorry for barging in when you’re not home.”

“Whoa, wait!” In surprise, Cid jolted to his feet. “I didn’t—I didn’t mean I wanna be alone. I want you _here.”_

Her back turned to him, he watched her shake her head subtly. “Don’t say it,” she whispered.

“What?”

“…If you’re here to tell me you’re tired of me, I don’t know if I can take it. Just let me walk out, Cid.”

His jaw slack, he rushed in front of her. “Is _that_ what you thought I was tryin’ to say?”

Shera’s face tightened and she took in a shaky breath. “I-Is it?”

“Shera…” Cid murmured. “Shera, we made it to space…after all this time, we were there together…”

Wiping her eyes, a weary smile came to her as she nodded. “And I nearly screwed it up for you again. You barely said a word to me on the way down…”

Kicking himself, Cid rubbed the back of his neck. “…Oh. Shit, yeah, I guess I didn’t. I was just lost in thought, Shera. It wasn’t anything against _you,_ I promise.”

Sighing haggardly, Shera sank back down into the chair. “I thought…I’ve spent the last few weeks telling myself I screwed up. You were so—so happy, but you were also so reserved. It’s not like you.”

Laughing painfully, Cid leaned against the counter and faced her. “I—Goddammit, Shera, I just can’t seem to do _anything_ right by you.”

Taking off her glasses, Shera rubbed her face and struggled to steady her breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t be,” he sighed, waving a hand. “I was actin’ weird, I get ya. I…I was thinkin’ about the view outta that porthole while we were up there, some of it was about what me and the others are doing, about what’s happenin’ to the planet…and…and about you.”

“Me?”

“The way that you were glowing while we waited for pickup in the raft…You were right there and I still felt a million miles away from you, Shera,” Cid said gently. “And there’s…” He paused, mulling over a question, but immediately realized there was no other way to ask other than point-blank. “What the _hell_ were you doin’ on that rocket, Shera? No one was supposed to be manning it, and it only had to make it as far as Meteor. You can’t tell me you were worried about that oxygen tank. That don’t make a lick’a sense.”

Folding her arms over the table, Shera shrugged. “…It…No. 26 had to make it to Meteor, like you said. I was sure it wouldn’t if I didn’t watch it.”

“You can’t tell me that.”

Rubbing her shoulder, Shera slipped her glasses back on. “…Oh, what the hell,” she groaned wearily. “Here I am, end of the world and I still can’t be honest…”

Slowly, Cid pushed himself from the counter and eased back into a chair. “Nah, it’s not the end of the world. Promise.”

She held up a hand to quiet him. “I’m gonna…admit something I’ve never said to anyone, and I really, really need you to not interrupt while I do it, okay?”

Cid shrugged.

“Promise,” Shera pressed.

“Okay, okay,” he assured her, drawing a cross on his chest. “I promise.”

“Thanks.” Shera’s face turned dour and she poured herself another cup of tea. “That rocket was more than big enough for more than one pilot.”

Cid nearly agreed aloud, but quickly bit his tongue and nodded shortly instead.

“We designed her that way, Cid,” Shera reminded him. “Our girl did just fine with that entire circus troupe you brought with you—”

Cid snickered despite himself.

“—And she always could have…but Palmer and the President wanted a pilot,” Shera mumbled. “Only one pilot. They weren’t going to budget anybody else but you.”

By degrees, Cid’s face fell, uncomfortable with the direction this question had suddenly taken them.

“I wasn’t like you. I was just some eggheaded little girl, and I wasn’t daring enough for their projects. They found an engineer and a pilot in one…and he was everything they could have wanted. Charming, handsome, loyal, passionate…a man…Did a…Did a _really_ great interview whenever they stuck you in front of a camera…and they just wouldn’t listen to reason that sending up only one person was risky—was-was a waste of what our girl could do…” Shera slumped against her folded arms, her eyes lingering on the woodgrain of the tabletop. “They were never gonna let me go, Cid. I just had to watch _you_ live my dream _for_ me.”

Clearing his throat softly, Cid drummed his knuckles on the table. The signs had been there the whole time. Now that he had it spelled out for his selfish ass, he could picture the layers of jealousy and sadness in her eyes. “Shit…You never…”

“The—The public campaigns, the excitement from everyone, _your_ excitement…!” Shaking her head, Shera buried her forehead in her arms. “I didn’t want to resent you, Cid, but I…I wasn’t in a good place the day I screwed up the launch. I wasn’t in a good place for months before that…I didn’t…I didn’t want to live in a world that couldn’t let me have _my_ dreams, too.”

Cid’s stomach sank and he hesitantly reached across the table to brush a hand on hers. “You didn’t sabotage the launch on purpose, did you…?”

 _“No!”_ she blurted, her head shooting back up. Tears tumbled from her eyes, her face pale as she stared back at him in horror. “No, no, no, I swear it…!” In growing anguish, she choked. “I just…When the tank was stolen and we had to do that rush job on a backup, I just…I wanted No. 26 to go up, more than anything…but…but…” Shera’s face grew distant, her brow tightening in guilt. “But once I heard the engines starting, something…something I’m so ashamed of, that I have never said a word of to anyone, happened…” Gripping his hand, she closed her eyes. “Either I was going to get that maintenance check done and make it into the rocket with no time to disembark…or I was going to never have to care that I would never see the world from the stars. I wouldn’t have to live with that…”

His throat tight, Cid put his other hand on hers and squeezed it in a vise. “Holy _hell,_ Shera…!”

“And I…” She took a deep breath as her voice cracked. “I put that on you. I was so much of a coward that I couldn’t even take a coward’s way out on my own…”

In an instant, Cid was on his feet. He rested her head against his midsection, his hand firm, as though she would evaporate into mist if he didn’t. “Goddammit, Shera…You…You never said.”

“Because you fell _so_ hard, Cid…” Shera whimpered. “The day you nearly drank yourself to death? The fits of rage you’d throw at…at just about anybody? It took you ages to get back up. And that was _my_ fault…”

“It’s not your fault I was a selfish asshole!” he groaned. “You could have…” No. No, Shera _couldn’t_ have told him. Not for a long time. Cid wouldn’t have heard it. He had to be honest with himself…What kind of terrible thing would he have said if she had admitted her darkest thoughts to him at that time?

Shera pried off her glasses again and allowed herself to lean into him fully. “…No, I couldn’t have,” she mumbled, gently setting her glasses on the table with a soft clack. “That’s why I didn’t. That’s why I just…stayed. No matter what happened, or what you said.”

“Oh, shit on _me…”_ Cid sighed raggedly. “You know me better than I know myself sometimes.” He brought himself to his knees by her chair, his expression pleading up at her. “Please tell me you would never try to hurt yourself like that again. Please tell me that wasn’t why you were there.”

“I was there to _go to space,_ dumbass!” Shera laughed painfully. “I had done every check on that ship before it launched, I knew the rescue capsule was just fine! I got to see Gaia from space. I…I made it.”

Laughing with her, his voice strained, Cid nodded. “You made it.”

“And…And, no…” she whispered. “I would never.”

In relief, Cid hung his head. “…Are you…better?”

“I’m managing,” she assured him. “And I never got into a head space like that again…because of you.”

Doubtfully, Cid looked up at her. “…Can’t say I deserve any credit.”

“I mean, definitely not how you acted when you were hurting,” she said, idly shifting strands of his gold hair from his goggles. “I…The way you said…The way you said I was going to make you a murderer. I can still hear your voice…it haunts me.”

His mouth thinning, Cid swallowed dryly. That day and his words had haunted him for five years as well.

“The way you sounded then…I have never heard anything more soul-crushing in my life,” Shera said, wiping moisture from her cheeks. “And any time I was too hard on myself…I would remember what you’d sound like if I disappeared.”

“Don’t you _dare_ disappear,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes stinging. “Shera, I didn’t come back to Rocket Town for a single person here other than you.”

She blinked at him, her cheeks flushing.

“You’re tellin’ me I could have lost you at any point in the last five years when I came here to tell you I wanna be with you?”

In shock, Shera’s hands covered her mouth. “You…?”

“I wanna be your man,” he said in a low voice. “I wanna make it work. I mean, shit, you’ve been hangin’ around my house since it was built. Stick around?” Half-chuckling, he pulled off his goggles and rested them on the table. “I thought I was gonna be the one dropping bombshells tonight…but you got me beat.”

Shera slid out of her chair to lean fully against him and wrapped her arms around him. “Cid…Goddammit, you waited until the end of the _world_ for this?”

“I’m an ass!” he admitted, returning her embrace. “And the world is _not_ ending. I am gonna drag Sephiroth out of whatever hole he’s hidden himself in, wipe his smug ass off the face of Gaia, and I will make damn certain that hunk of rock goes with him.”

Her hold growing tighter, Shera shook as she alternated between laughter and weeping. “Cid! Cid, I’ve wanted to hear you say that _so_ long…!”

“About Sephiroth?”

She giggled and slapped his back. “You _know_ what I mean!”

Shera was so warm against him, fitting like she belonged there, and her voice rang through his chest. He delicately stroked his fingers through her ponytail, letting the strands snake around his rough hand. “It’s probably rushing, and I get it if it is…but can I kiss you?”

Her head snapped up and he felt a shiver of heat go through him as Shera’s sparkling, hazel eyes locked with his. Wordlessly, she straightened and reached for his lips with hers. He uttered a soft sound of surprise, then leaned into her fully. Her lips sought his hungrily, and he felt her fingertips brush against his stubble. Very carefully, he adjusted his position on the floor, allowing her to sink into him. Every inch of Shera’s body that rested against Cid seared him like she was made of flame. 

Cid let out another sound as her tongue slid against his lips. Holy shit, Shera was amazing at this, and he was stunned how _desperately_ she was kissing him, how eager her breath sounded as she let out tiny whimpers into his mouth. Cid planted his hands on the sides of her face, rubbing his thumbs over her soft, tear-soaked cheeks. He then gradually broke their kiss, taking deep breaths to steady himself. “Well, _damn,_ Shera.”

Panting, she lifted a trembling hand to sweep her bangs from her face. “S-Sorry…”

“‘Sorry’?” he repeated incredulously. “You are _amazing_ at that. Never apologize for that.”

Sighing deeply, she nodded. “So are you.”

“Just…”

“T-Take a break?” she supplied for him.

“Yeah,” he chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair, his head swimming. “There’s, uh, there’s a lot to talk about, huh?”

Giggling and flustered, Shera agreed.

Cid awkwardly adjusted his pants as he sat, letting out a trailing whistle. “So…let’s talk, I guess.”

Seated, Shera took a grateful sip of tea and slipped her glasses back on. “I don’t even know where to start…”

“That should be easy,” he laughed, gesturing with a hand. “How incredible was _space,_ right?”

“Freakin’ _incredible!”_ she squealed, her legs kicking under the table in giddiness.

The hours went on, long after tea was done, dinner was made and enjoyed, and they ran out of and rediscovered topics over and over again. Cid watched as a heavy weight was lifted from both of them. Shera’s face reminded him of the early days of the Department, shining with an energy and elation he hadn’t seen from her in years. He knew it shone through his face too, he could feel his cheeks tiring as time passed.

Noting the lateness of the hour, Cid rested his jaw on his hand. “The plates can just wait in the sink,” he said, yawning. “…I don’t wanna have to say goodnight, but I guess…Make tomorrow a date?” he offered, grinning at her.

Twirling strands of her hair around her finger, Shera shifted in her chair. “Do we have to part ways?”

“I don’t even _own_ a couch to crash on, Sher,” he chuckled, standing. He adjusted the waist of his pants, stretching. “Lemme make ya a deal: In the mornin’ I’ll buy us some coffee and I’ll make breakfast. Hell, want maple toast and bacon? I make a killer maple toast.”

By degrees she pulled herself out of her chair, her eyes darting to and fro. “I…don’t _have_ to go anywhere…”

Hearing the insinuation in her voice, Cid swallowed and cleared his throat. “Uh, maybe we shouldn’t rush?” 

Shera’s breath deepened and she bit her lip. “It’s not rushing,” she mumbled. “You have…no idea how long…”

A shiver went down his spine at her expression, heat filling him. “Oh, yeah? How long?”

Her face flushed, Shera smiled gently. “You remember when we got the approval for the final design on No. 26? And the whole team was ecstatic…you were laughing like a madman and swept me off my feet and, like, spun with me…?”

“Yeah, I remember that, I remember apologizing a lot…” Blinking in surprise, Cid swallowed hard. “That was…seven years ago.”

Shera’s eyes half-closed as she stood. “That’s when I first wanted you.” She gently pinched the front of his blue t-shirt and tugged at the fabric. “I have thought about you _so_ often since then…”

“You…You _dated_ in that time, didn’t you?” He searched his memory and then nodded. “Yeah, you did.”

“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t still thinking about you,” she whispered coyly, gradually dragging her eyes up to him. “Thinking about what you would do to me…” Idly, her fingertips brushed up his arm, lingering around his firm bicep. “How easy it would be for you. You never need a ladder to work on the roof, and watching that crazy jump you can do…I get so hot every single time…”

Shera seducing _him?_ This wasn’t what Cid had ever pictured out of her, but that look in her eyes was _killing_ him. He leaned closer, a hand raising to the side of her face. “Oh, yeah? You don’t think taking our time won’t hurt?”

The instant his fingers brushed against her skin Shera took a sharp intake of breath and she shivered. “Cid…a giant, fiery ball of death is approaching Gaia, there’s no guarantee we’ll make it out of this, and I have spent seven years fantasizing you having me,” she murmured hotly. “Please, if you don’t take me this instant, I will go out of my mind.”

Cid gladly tossed aside his paltry resolve. 

* * *

The two hadn’t made it to the bed, they hadn’t even made it away from the kitchen table. Only one of the mugs had been an unfortunate casualty of Cid and Shera’s shared enthusiasm. 

After catching their breath, Cid hoisted Shera into his arms and they finally retreated to the bedroom. He carried Shera through the slightly ajar door of his bedroom, and gently draped her over the sheets—sheets that hadn’t been made since before the Tiny Bronco’s attempted theft. (He was a grown man and didn’t have to make the bed if he couldn’t be arsed.) 

Easing himself beside her, he grinned and his eyes gleamed as Shera shook out her ponytail. Cid sighed deeply as he soaked in the outline of her silhouette and the swirl of reddish strands outlined in the faint glow from the living room. However, an eerie scarlet and violet drifted from the bedroom’s window and painted Shera’s other side. It was a grim reminder of what Cid had to face to make sure the woman in front of him was safe. He would do anything for her, and Meteor wasn’t allowed to take this moment from him.

The clap of his lighter drew her eyes back to Cid while he lit a cigarette. As though just noticing his presence, Shera dreamily smiled at him. “I…I can’t believe how good you look, Cid.”

Cid leaned close, fingers delicately running along Shera’s chubby belly. “Do you have any idea how good _you_ look?” he whispered.

“N-Not like you…you’re like a movie star,” she giggled.

“And you are a nymph,” he crooned, his fingers trailing all the way to the side of her face. “Beautiful, soft, like sand and terracotta…” He took his cigarette from his mouth and punctuated his exaggerated melodrama with a deep, lingering kiss. “To hell with the movies.”

Her forehead resting on his shoulder, she let out a starstruck laugh. “Goddammit, you’re being poetic again.”

“I’m gonna make you sick of it the next coupl’a days,” he chuckled back, taking a deep drag.

“Never,” she sighed. “I could never get sick of this.”

“C’mere,” Cid purred, reaching for her.

Shera smiled and leaned against him, burying further into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “Can I stay over now?” she tittered playfully.

Cid kissed the top of her head gently. “I am not letting you out of my sight, Shera.” 

“You’re gonna fall asleep sooner or later.”

“What? Never.”

“You’re yawning though.”

“Nope.”

“You just did.”

“Then I’ll take you with me in my dreams.”

Letting out a giggly shriek, she kicked her legs against the bed. _“Stop_ that!”

“You knew damn well what you were gettin’ into.”

“I did. I asked for it.”

“…How are we gonna have breakfast if I can’t wrench my arms off you?”

“Oh, dear. Guess we’ll starve.”

“Oh, well.”

“Oh, well.”

  
  



End file.
